From US Info, a Dept of State Website:
06 April 2004
Bush Seeking $23.5 Million for Food and Agriculture Defense Plan
Agriculture Dept. also focusing on trade, research, Veneman says
By Kathryn McConnell
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- The Bush administration's budget request for the fiscal year beginning October 1 (FY05) contains funding for a new food and agriculture defense initiative, says Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman.
In an April 6 address at the National Press Club, Veneman emphasized that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to focus on maintaining the safety of the U.S. food supply, while working to maintain international markets for food produced by U.S. farmers and supporting research into new agricultural technologies.
USDA is requesting $23.5 million for the food and agriculture defense initiative, according to Elsa Munro, under secretary of agriculture for food safety, who testified March 18 before a House of Representatives agriculture subcommittee. The sum would support a comprehensive U.S. policy to boost the government's ability to respond to dangers posed by disease, pests or poisons, natural or intentionally introduced, Veneman said. The Food and Drug Administration and Department of Homeland Security are also involved in safeguarding the U.S. food supply, she said.
Veneman said that there is a "reasonable chance" that a framework for agricultural negotiations within the World Trade Organization (WTO) will be reached by August, when the negotiations are expected to resume. Trade negotiations stalled last September when the WTO met in Cancun, Mexico. The secretary added that while agriculture negotiations weren't concluded in Cancun, negotiators did make "substantial" progress.
Veneman said she was disappointed by Japan's rejection of a U.S. proposal to have the World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE, provide a consultation regarding the U.S. response to the sole case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) discovered in the United States in December. That case led to Japan's closing its market to U.S. beef. Prior to the ban, Japan accounted for 10 percent of U.S. beef exports, she said.
Japan wants the United States to test every cow it slaughters for BSE. The OIE, however, has concluded that 100 percent testing is not scientifically warranted. Moreover, according to the WTO, national regulations on food in world markets should be based on sound science, the secretary said.
Saying agriculture is an ever-evolving industry, Veneman stressed the importance of USDA's support of research into new agricultural technologies.
Just as tractors and combines reduced the amount of physical labor required in farming, she said, newer technologies are helping farmers become more efficient and productive.
Veneman pointed to research that has resulted in technologies that have expanded non-food uses of farm commodities, such as a plastic made from maize, and ethanol, an environment-friendly fuel that accounts for 10 percent of U.S. maize production. She said research has also found new uses for agricultural by-products, such as energy systems powered by animal waste.
The secretary noted that computer technology has also become increasingly important in modern agriculture. Computers are helping farmers connect with customers around the world, and, with global positioning systems (GPS), are helping them learn which areas of their fields need more attention, she said.
Veneman also said biotechnology "is opening up important new possibilities for both products and efficiencies." For example, she said, biotechnology is helping produce greater crop yields and "functional foods," such as "golden rice," which is rich in Vitamin A and prevents a form of blindness that affects children in developing countries.
In addition, biotechnology is producing crops that can adapt to harsh climates and require "only a fraction" of the pesticides traditional crops require, thus "greatly improving the environment" and reducing farmers' production costs.
Another area of agricultural research offering opportunities is genomics -- in which the biological aspects of animal and plant species are explored with the expected results of improved productivity, controlled and treated diseases, and enhanced food security, she said.
Finally, Veneman noted that the ministerial meeting on agricultural technologies USDA hosted in 2003 in Sacramento, California, has resulted in many follow-up activities and partnerships that are benefiting the developing world. One follow-up activity was the recently announced Norman Borlaug Science Fellows Program, which will train agricultural professionals from developing countries in new technologies and practices.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov
06 April 2004
Bush Seeking $23.5 Million for Food and Agriculture Defense Plan
Agriculture Dept. also focusing on trade, research, Veneman says
By Kathryn McConnell
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- The Bush administration's budget request for the fiscal year beginning October 1 (FY05) contains funding for a new food and agriculture defense initiative, says Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman.
In an April 6 address at the National Press Club, Veneman emphasized that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to focus on maintaining the safety of the U.S. food supply, while working to maintain international markets for food produced by U.S. farmers and supporting research into new agricultural technologies.
USDA is requesting $23.5 million for the food and agriculture defense initiative, according to Elsa Munro, under secretary of agriculture for food safety, who testified March 18 before a House of Representatives agriculture subcommittee. The sum would support a comprehensive U.S. policy to boost the government's ability to respond to dangers posed by disease, pests or poisons, natural or intentionally introduced, Veneman said. The Food and Drug Administration and Department of Homeland Security are also involved in safeguarding the U.S. food supply, she said.
Veneman said that there is a "reasonable chance" that a framework for agricultural negotiations within the World Trade Organization (WTO) will be reached by August, when the negotiations are expected to resume. Trade negotiations stalled last September when the WTO met in Cancun, Mexico. The secretary added that while agriculture negotiations weren't concluded in Cancun, negotiators did make "substantial" progress.
Veneman said she was disappointed by Japan's rejection of a U.S. proposal to have the World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE, provide a consultation regarding the U.S. response to the sole case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) discovered in the United States in December. That case led to Japan's closing its market to U.S. beef. Prior to the ban, Japan accounted for 10 percent of U.S. beef exports, she said.
Japan wants the United States to test every cow it slaughters for BSE. The OIE, however, has concluded that 100 percent testing is not scientifically warranted. Moreover, according to the WTO, national regulations on food in world markets should be based on sound science, the secretary said.
Saying agriculture is an ever-evolving industry, Veneman stressed the importance of USDA's support of research into new agricultural technologies.
Just as tractors and combines reduced the amount of physical labor required in farming, she said, newer technologies are helping farmers become more efficient and productive.
Veneman pointed to research that has resulted in technologies that have expanded non-food uses of farm commodities, such as a plastic made from maize, and ethanol, an environment-friendly fuel that accounts for 10 percent of U.S. maize production. She said research has also found new uses for agricultural by-products, such as energy systems powered by animal waste.
The secretary noted that computer technology has also become increasingly important in modern agriculture. Computers are helping farmers connect with customers around the world, and, with global positioning systems (GPS), are helping them learn which areas of their fields need more attention, she said.
Veneman also said biotechnology "is opening up important new possibilities for both products and efficiencies." For example, she said, biotechnology is helping produce greater crop yields and "functional foods," such as "golden rice," which is rich in Vitamin A and prevents a form of blindness that affects children in developing countries.
In addition, biotechnology is producing crops that can adapt to harsh climates and require "only a fraction" of the pesticides traditional crops require, thus "greatly improving the environment" and reducing farmers' production costs.
Another area of agricultural research offering opportunities is genomics -- in which the biological aspects of animal and plant species are explored with the expected results of improved productivity, controlled and treated diseases, and enhanced food security, she said.
Finally, Veneman noted that the ministerial meeting on agricultural technologies USDA hosted in 2003 in Sacramento, California, has resulted in many follow-up activities and partnerships that are benefiting the developing world. One follow-up activity was the recently announced Norman Borlaug Science Fellows Program, which will train agricultural professionals from developing countries in new technologies and practices.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov